Whether this year’s storms packed a punch or knockout blow for Tuscarawas County farmers depends on where you go.

“You can find areas all across the county where there’s been a negative impact from wind and rain — some areas are harder hit than others,” said Chris Zoller, Tuscarawas County’s Ohio State University Extension director for agriculture.

The extreme wet weather is a sharp contrast to last year’s drought conditions.

“When you average the two together, it would be a ‘normal’ year,” Zoller said. “I’ve heard several farmers say they’d rather have too much rain than not enough. I know there will be farmers with certain fields where the yields will be severely lower this year.

“Is it as bad as the drought? I don’t think so, at least not yet. It’s newsworthy, but it’s not as dramatic at this stage as compared to last year.”

Still, it’s vitally important because gross farm receipts for all agricultural products sales generated in the county are nearly $104 million annually. About 40 percent of the total is generated by the dairy industry, Zoller said.

“Right now, the biggest challenge is heat and humidity,” Zoller said, noting that the heat index has been near 100 or higher several times in the past few weeks. “Animals are like people. When it’s hot, they don’t eat as much, they’re lethargic and cattle don’t produce as much milk.”

That’s the case for Cliff and Connie Finton’s family, whose farm is south of New Philadelphia.

She said their dairy cows’ milk production is down because of the recent heat wave. The family has added extra fans in the holding pens for the cows, along with using a special type of dry cooler.

“You just treat the animals like you do people, make sure everyone is hydrated,” she said.

The Fintons raise cattle for the family’s dairy operation and grow the feed, primarily corn and hay.

“Half the crops are looking really lousy,” she said. The Fintons own about 150 acres, but lease some of the land to other farmers.

“There’s not anything you can do about it,” Finton said. “Our double-cropped, late planted corn is absolutely horrible.

“You just take it one day at a time and do what you can to solve the problem,” she said. “Either it grows or it doesn’t.”

Zoller said that some severe storms from late June through mid-July knocked down corn in various areas of the county.

“Depending on its stage of development, more than likely it will come back upright,” Zoller said. “Some won’t be completely upright, and that can create headaches at harvest time. It slows down the harvesting, because you want to get as much of the corn as you possibly can.”

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He said he doesn’t have any estimate for the number of acres impacted, mostly because of flooding. Damage seemed to be more severe in the southern portion of the county, where farmers reported corn or soybeans being destroyed – ranging from a few acres to more than 200.

He said extreme moisture and lack of oxygen can cause root rot in soybeans and lower the yield.

“I don’t expect it to be a significant impact on the crop yield overall for soybeans or corn,” he said.

He said that flooding also has delayed wheat harvesting, which typically starts about July 4. He said there also may be some lower quality because of the weather.

It’s also hampering hay harvest because there have been few consecutive days of good drying weather.

“Each time you’re mechanically handling the hay — especially alfalfa — the more leaves fall off, and those contain the nutrients, so you’re losing quality,” he said.

He said the delays in planting corn or putting up hay has caused a conflict in scheduling and best options for farmers.

Tuscarawas County ranked fourth statewide in hay production, based on the number of acres, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service in 2012.

“It’s still too early to tell – the true numbers regarding yield will be determined during the harvest in the fall,” he said. “This is mid-July, and typically you’re harvesting corn and soybeans in late October to November. There’s still time for a rebound.”